IPS: 2005 schedule announced

Menards Infiniti Pro Series Adds Road Courses For 2005
Series will be first to race twice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 -- The Indy Racing League Menards
Infiniti Pro SeriesÂ® will feature a series-high 14...

Menards Infiniti Pro Series Adds Road Courses For 2005
Series will be first to race twice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 -- The Indy Racing League Menards
Infiniti Pro Series® will feature a series-high 14 races in 2005,
including three events on road courses and one street course, league
officials announced.

The Menards Infiniti Pro Series will become the first series to race
twice in the same season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The third
Futaba Freedom 100 is scheduled for the 2.5-mile oval on May 27 (Carb
Day), while the series will race the road course during the United
States Grand Prix weekend.

With the exception of the second race at Indianapolis, the Menards
Infiniti Pro Series runs in conjunction with the IRL IndyCar® Series.
Ten of the 14 Menards Infiniti Pro Series races will be held on the same
day as IndyCar Series races.

The 2005 season will mark the first time the Menards Infiniti Pro Series
races on tracks other than ovals. The series will hold a street-circuit
event at St. Petersburg, Fla. on April 3, and will race on road courses
at Indianapolis, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on Aug. 28, and
Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. on Sept. 25.

"This is an historic moment for the Menards Infiniti Pro Series," said
Roger Bailey, executive director of the Menards Infiniti Pro Series.
"By lengthening the schedule and adding road races, we will increase
our ability to attract the top young driving talent from around the
United States and the world. To be able to showcase the series, our
drivers, teams and sponsors twice at Indianapolis in the same year is
extraordinary."

For the second consecutive season, Homestead-Miami Speedway will play
host to the opening race on March 6. The season will conclude at
California Speedway on Oct. 16. The 10 oval races will be 100-mile
"sprints."

Formed in July 2002, the Menards Infiniti Pro Series is an essential
stepping stone for drivers and teams striving to reach the pinnacle
of open-wheel racing in America, the IndyCar Series. The previous two
champions, A.J. Foyt IV (2002) and Mark Taylor (2003), along with Ed
Carpenter, are full-time drivers in the IndyCar Series.

Infiniti Q45 engines power Dallara Automobili chassis built for
the series, with Firestone Firehawk tires used exclusively on all
cars. The V8 engines produce approximately 450 horsepower for the
single-seat winged chassis, providing an ideal training ground for the
600-horsepower, single-seat winged cars of the IndyCar Series.

All Menards Infiniti Pro Series events are televised on ESPN2 and
distributed worldwide through ESPN International.